Recently, we returned from our second cruise to Alaska aboard Princess Cruises. This time, the ship was the Star Princess. It’s the newest ship to join the Princess fleet. However, the star of this trip was not the ship. The star was the beautiful state of Alaska.
I have a special connection with Alaska. It is a place I have been visiting since a kid. I have cruised there, camped there, traveled on the Alaska Marine Highway, and also on a family boat that was built by my grandparents, mom, and uncles. Every time I go there, I am blown away by the scale, the environment, and the beautiful views that can be found throughout the state. This time was no exception.
Certain places in Alaska stand out to me. One of them is Skagway. It’s quite a journey up the Inside Passage to reach Skagway. I love how disconnected it feels from the rest of the world. It isn’t completely disconnected, though. Ships visit. Planes and helicopters land there. Cars can drive there. There is also a train, the White Pass & Yukon Route, that connects Skagway with Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon in Canada. This train goes way up into the mountains and offers stunning views while aboard. It is a narrow-gauge train that has tracks that are 3 feet wide. This makes sense when you think of where it is going!
One of my favorite memories of my first visit to Skagway was getting to see a steam engine in action in Skagway. It didn’t pull our train, if I recall. It did blow its whistle quite loudly and displayed the raw power in a way only a steam engine can. It definitely left a lasting memory. Since that childhood trip, I haven’t seen a steam engine in action when visiting Skagway. That is, until this trip.
While aboard the White Pass & Yukon Route, making our way back down the mountains to Skagway, I was standing out on the platform at the front of our car and happened to glance at the mountainside of the train (everybody generally stands on the other side so they can see the views) at the track. There, I saw Engine 73 coming up, hooked to another engine and pulling a train up the mountains.
Engine 73 is beautiful. This engine is known as the “Pride of the White Pass.” It also happens to be one of the last narrow-gauge steam engines that was ever built in the United States of America. It was the very last steam engine to be purchased by the White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR). It is a narrow-gauge 2-8-2 “Mikado” type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1947.
I quickly alerted new friends who were on the platform of the car in front of me that the 73 was on its way. They hopped over to the other side, not knowing what I was talking about. They quickly figured it out. This thing of beauty came charging up the mountain. As it did, the smoke plumes billowed out of its smoke stack. Its whistle was terrifically loud as it steamed on by.
The whole experience was over in less than a minute. It was a memorable minute, though. As we were being pulled by one of the most modern engines that is a part of the WP&YR fleet, we got to see one of the oldest. It really was something special and will stick with me as I look back fondly on this trip.
Seeing a steam engine in the Alaskan wilderness makes an already surreal experience even more so. Being in the wilderness in Alaska is almost like a trip back in time. It really brings history to life. Add a steam engine charging towards you, and that history becomes even more of a reality. It drives home how far we have progressed as humankind from the eras of climbing mountains by foot, then by horses/mules (many of which perished), and then by train. All of this takes place in an era when we are once again circling around the moon and soon visiting it.
I love seeing things from the past and thinking about how these historic things, like a steam train, impacted the course and projection of human history. It blows my mind to think of all of the people building this train line over 100 years ago up into the mountains. I love the drive and dedication they had with the hope that what they were doing would lead to a better future. As we rode up and down the mountain and then returned to the luxury of the Star Princess, it was hard not to look around and marvel at just how much better that future is. Perhaps more than anyone could have imagined, while clearing land, laying rail, pounding spikes, and eventually getting to ride aboard a train from Skagway up into the mountains and the Yukon.
This train ride might have just been three hours that took us up and down the mountain with some beautiful vistas and snow along the way. It also signified something more: progress. By looking at the past, we can see how far we have come and be inspired by what the future can bring. That’s the magic of seeing a steam engine climbing up the side of a mountain.
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